The IG Wild beim Wild advocates for opening the cages in zoos and, in the long term, converting them into rescue centres where native wildlife in need can move freely and receive care.
We do not want to see animals kept in captivity or confined in any other form, unless it is to save them. The best way to save an endangered species is not to capture it and house it in an enclosed space, but to preserve its natural habitat.
Elephants
Elephants are virtually unable to thrive in zoos. Elephants need wide-ranging territories spanning kilometres, not a few meagre square metres. Captivity in zoos even causes brain damage, as a new study shows.
Exotic wild animals
The welfare of all exotic animals in zoos remains poor. The import and breeding of rare and exotic wild animals in zoos is a “one-way ticket into the entertainment business.” For decades we have seen elephants in zoos, and yet they stand on the brink of extinction.
Rescue centres: The zoos of the future
In a zoo, the visitor experience takes centre stage. In a rescue centre, the health and wellbeing of the animals come first. Rescue centres — places of rehabilitation and active conservation — are the zoos of the future.
What is the solution?
All exotic animals in zoos should either be safely reintroduced into their native habitats or transferred to local rescue centres. A genuine animal sanctuary places the needs of its residents above those of paying visitors. More on the topic of animal rights.
| You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose mercy on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan. |
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Alternatives to recreational hunting we show political and practical alternatives to recreational hunting. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
